"Don't Blame the Mud: only Jesus makes us clean" is such a fun book that has a wonderful message! My kids loved this book and I love the lesson that they were learning while reading it.
Max, like most boys and honestly girls as well, knows that he is supposed to keep his school clothes clean; however he cannot help himself when he is walking home from school and sees the mud. The mud that he decided to walk through in a kind of maze. Thinking he can sneak in and have his parents from finding out does not work as the mud leaves tracks and while Max is able to clean off some of the mud, not all of it will come out as it leaves a mark or stain. This illustrated how the sin inside of us leaves a stain and cannot be completely cleaned by us alone, but only through Jesus cleansing our hearts after we believe on Him.
The author, Marty Machowski, does an incredible job with presenting this story and presenting the message in a way that is easily understood by children and enjoyable to read so that children want to read this book. I love the illustrations as they are very well done and go along well with the text. I highly recommend this book!

*Thanks to New Growth Press via Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book.*

Don't Blame the Mud is a cute little book that teaches children some good lessons. I give it four stars.

A wonderful introduction to reformed theology for kids!
An engaging little story about Marty and the mud.
Convicting for saints and sinners alike !

Wow!! I have been a fan of Marty Machowski's for a while now. We are actually currently working our way through one of his 10 minute devotions, Wise Up: Ten-Minute Family Devotions in Proverbs. So we were excited to dig into this short story book for kids. It is the perfect length that will keep everyone engaged, even younger kids. The illustrations are very adorable and my kids enjoyed them. The story is very skilled at representing our sin and how we need God to clean us. It shows that we are responsible for our own sin and only God can help us to get clean.

Not only is the story very engaging and entertaining but it clearly shares the Gospel through Max's parents. Max understands His need for a Savior and actually comes to Christ right in the pages of the story. So this is a terrific way to get conversations started. I actually wish I had come upon this book when my kids are younger, but we will be sharing it with everyone.

At the end is a space for parents to help guide you in talking to your kids about salvation and some steps to take if they are ready. This is such an amazing resource that should be in every home.

Thanks to the publisher for our free copy, no review was required.

Are you looking for a good children’s book that talk about the subject of sin and forgiveness of sins biblically? This children’s book really did a good job giving an analogy of sin being compared to mud and also talked directly about the issue of sin, guilt and Christ and the Gospel. Yet the author told this story in a way that kids would relate and certainly my daughters felt they could identify with the main character Max.
Coming in at 32 pages this book packed a lot of precious truths within its pages. It tells the story of Max who head back home from school chose to disobeyed his mom who told him before not to play with the mud until he comes home and change. I like the book’s discussion about temptation, disobedience and the most profound to me was the way it handled the topic of how we hide sin. Max used blame game by blaming the mud for his fault and also attempt to hide his muddy clothes even though it was obvious there’s mud (and mud everywhere!). What an analogy of our sins. But this book is not just a book on guilt trip; it points to God’s grace of how to be forgiven of one’s sin and guilt! This is the beautiful part of the book and through Max’s discussion with his parents readers will learn along with Max our need to confess our sins to God and also go to Christ for His grace. This is a first rate Gospel saturated children’s book that I wholeheartedly recommend without any reservation; I wished more children’s book can be just as biblical, as relatable and as fascinating as this one. The illustrations also helped tremendously for the story-telling to young kids and it led my daughters to point out what Max was doing and how irrational it was for him to lie that he’s got no mud on him! I give this book 5 start out of 5 star!
NOTE: This book was provided to me free by New Growth Press and Net Galley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

The concept behind the analogy is great! The book addresses a very key concept in dealing with our sin and sinful desires: someone/something else "made" me do it. It brings the issue of personal responsibility home to both child and adult. Of course the metaphors of dirty and clean are used throughout the Bible, so the inspiration and concepts have a very real biblical base, thus enhancing the effectiveness of the analogy.

The end material includes helpful ideas for sharing Christ with your child. That said, these notes should be modified to the educational and emotional needs of the child and the parent/youth leader's relationship with him/her as kids know when you are speaking real, from the heart, and reciting someone else's script.

(I have posted this review on Amazon as well and it should appear their shortly)

It's not my fault, I thought. I was doing fine till I slipped and fell. My clothes were all clean till the mud splashed on me. It's all the mud's fault, that's easy to see.

A little boy learns a lesson on obedience and what it means in simple terms. How we blame others for our bad choices (sin) and how we are redeemed when we take responsibility for our bad choices (sin). It is a great lesson on how we think we know better than those in authority. Mom/dad vs kids. It is the same with God. This is a great lesson in teaching our children. How our desires cause us to make bad choices that lead to sin.

If as a parent you are serious about sin and teaching sin to your children, I highly recommend this as way to teach good doctrine.

A Special Thank you to New Growth Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

I want to thank #netgalley for giving me a copy of #dontblamethemud to review. This was a book about taking responsibility fur your actions. I liked the metaphor of the mud. The discussion guide and bible verses are a nice addition.

This book is a great way to explain the gospel to children. It does a good job of showing the dirt on the outside and relating that to guilt in the inside. There is an excellent couple of pages at the end of the book to help parents explain sin and the gospel to their children. The only aspect of the book I felt was less than perfect was the small print. It is not always so easy to hold a book so children can see the illustrations while reading the text. I can see Sunday School teachers using this book in such a way. Larger print would have been better for a broader use.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

At some point, we all must take accountability for our own sin. Marty Machowski's story Don't Blame the Mud illustrates this step of maturity in a simple way. With illustrations by Craig McIntosh, Machowski tells the story of Max, who, despite his mother's warnings to keep his school uniform clean, choosing to walk home on the path by the creek rather than on the road. After a few close calls, Max falls, soiling his school clothes, just like Mom said.



Feeling an urgent need to cover up the consequences of his disobedience, he sneaks to his room and sheds his dirty clothes, leaving a trail of mud. He then lies to his parents about how he got dirty: "It's not my fault that I slipped and fell. . . . It's the mud's fault. It wasn't me." When his parents confront him with the obvious, he feels a deep sense of conviction, and his parents take the opportunity to teach him about sin, repentance, and God's plan for forgiveness.



Machowski includes tips to help parents talk to their children about the gospel. It's a simple story, but with a profound purpose: turning children's hearts away from sin and toward Jesus. The lesson holds for believers of all ages. Just as Max strayed closer and closer to the mud, so do we place ourselves in proximity to sin. It's a message we should never stop hearing and a lesson we all need to hear and pass along to our children and other younger Christians.





Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

Author Marty Machowski once again gives parents a great tool for helping their kids understand sin, forgiveness, salvation and restoration with his new children's book, "Don't Blame the Mud." After main character Max ends up in the mud when his mom told him to stay clean, he has to deal with the consequences of his choices. Max's parents lovingly, yet firmly, help him understand sin, repentance, forgiveness, and restoration. Machowski's goal is for parents to use the book as a jumping off point for conversations with their kids, even offering parents tips for the conversations and questions to stimulate conversations with their kids.

This book is a winner, especially for parents, grandparents, children's workers, and other caregivers who want to talk to their kids about salvation but may not be sure where to start. Machowski offers a biblical, trustworthy resource that helps parents grow in their own abilities to teach and train their kids as they tackle a topic of eternal significance. F.or me, the only negative with "Don't Blame the Mud" was the illustrations. They weren't my style and didn't beckon to me to pick up the book. Still, the content is so great that this book is worth looking past the lackluster illustrations.

Note: I received a copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for this honest review. The opinions expressed are my own.

The book is divided into two sections. The first section is the first person narrative of a little boy. He tells us how he yields to temptation then tries to fix the mess he has made. That part ends with his parents explaining to him that his efforts will never rid him of the guilt of his actions. The second section is a brief Bible study of sin, guilt, and salvation.
I love the message of this book, especially the last bit of the story and the Bible study part. The simple power of the message is so beautifully presented there.
Unfortunately, the story itself is not as good. The writing is rather choppy. Parts almost have a poetic rhythm, but it’s not a poem. The rest just seems to be very choppy or abrupt. That all changes when we get to the section where the parents explain the Gospel, the sentences smooth out and start connecting better.
I received this as a free ARC through NetGalley and New Growth Press. No favorable review was required. It was my pleasure to provide my honest opinions.

Let me start out by saying that I'm not a Christian, and therefore am not the audience for this book. But I am interested in religion and trying to understand why people believe what they believe. I've read a few Christian picture books, and have enjoyed some more than others. This book, however, is one of the weaker ones I've read, combining a potentially confusing message with uneven illustrations and a trite plot.

Max gets muddy on his way home from school, even though his mom told him not to. So he tries to hide the evidence. It doesn't work, and he's forced to confess (and shower). But he still doesn't feel clean. It isn't until he asks God to forgive him for his sin that everything is hunky-dory.

As a non-Christian, I was confused for much of the book. It repeatedly talks about sin as going your own way and not God's way. What does that even mean? In this book, it appears to mean unquestioning obedience of your parents... which to me seems like an idea ripe for abuse. How many children have come to harm after an adult told them that what they were being subjected to was "God's way"?

The story itself is so bland and ridiculous, it will probably only appeal to very young children. Max is young enough to try to blame getting dirty on the mud itself, and yet in some of the illustrations, he almost looks like a teenager! So I'm not entirely sure what age group this book is aimed at. I'm guessing it's aimed at younger children, because there are a few pages at the back that are intended for parents. They, too, don't seem to know who their audience is. There are instructions on further brainwashing your children, but there is a lot of information that I would've thought Christian adults would already know (e.g., Jesus never had a bad thought in his life, we're all dirty sinners, getting nailed to a cross magically absolves everyone else of personal responsibility). Unless this is intended to be a conversion tool for the entire family, it doesn't make a lot of sense to put all those basics in there.

I tried to keep an open mind when I went into this, and until around the 3/4 mark I thought it was just a mediocre children's story about a kid trying to weasel his way out of trouble. It's the last 1/4 of the book that's going to narrow its audience. Unlike some of the other Christian titles I've read which were based on Bible stories, this seems to be little more than a tool to gain children's unquestioning obedience. But I don't even know how well it would work for that, since the overall message is kind of muddy (pun intended). How are you supposed to know what's your way and what's God's way? The only answer I get from reading this book is that if it's something you want to do, it must be wrong. That doesn't seem like a very healthy message at all.

But, like I said, I'm not the audience for this. Your mileage may vary.